An Exhibitionist Story: Athenril
by ForbiddenExile3
Summary: This story is in the POV of Athenril, you know the smuggler at the beginning of the game! You get a little insight into Ava's past. Hope you enjoy it! The beginning of the story and the end take place before her heist. in the first story Athenril, Carver, and Hawke belong to Bioware Ava belongs to me


Athenril:

"You want me to do what for you?"

"I just need some info, on a Templar, anything that degrades him in some way." Athenril couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was already waist deep in dangerous waters with the guard breathing down her neck. "Ava, I don't think I can do that."

"You can't or you won't?"

"Both, why can't you just ask Cullen, you two are close and all."

"He's hardly subtle, and well it's sort of a headache, please?"

"Ava…"

"Come on Athenril, just one favor, I never ask you for anything, this I actually need your help on. Please, for your favorite little Exhibitionist?" Athenril looked at her, looked into those black-brown eyes, which in this light looked like black pearls. She looked at the outfit she was wearing and noticed it resembled the same outfit she worn the first time she'd met her. A white tank top with a red scarf around her neck, skinny black pants and leather boots. To top it all off she was wearing a patchy coat. She always had a soft spot for Ava; she was one of the people that impressed her without even trying.

i _5 years ago_

_In the Rose district of Hightown_ /i

"Athenril we got a kid here, who umm *laugh* wants to talk to you."

"I'm not a kid!" A squeaky voice yelped over the large men.

"Ok, Jack let me see 'em" Jack moved and there stood a kid about the same height as her. That was never something she could change bout herself, with her being an elf and all. It did bother her so much from time to time. "You in the wrong place kid?"

"That's what I said," Jack added, sitting on a crate closely behind Athenril.

"I'm not a kid, I'm 13 for Andraste's sake!" Athenril evaluated the kid, i _she's a pretty one, skinny too, rather sassy, where are her parents? And how in the hell did she find out about me_ /i She was wearing a white tank top with a dark red patchy coat with a brown pack slung over her shoulder, skinny men's trousers, and worn out leather boots. This kid is from the slums of Kirkwall. Her violet-red hair was just to her shoulders.

"Where you from?"

"I'm a Ferelden, I fled here a year ago, been trying a living ever since."

"You're a thirteen year old trying to make a living in Kirkwall." The girl shrugged, and sadness swept over her face, the little brushes of hair that formed bangs blew when the wind did. Winter was coming, and Kirkwall isn't pleasant during this time. Athenril began to feel a bit of solace for this girl. Who knows what she's had to do to get those clothes, or what she might have to do to get food and shelter.

"What do you mean fled?" Jack asked, she took and deep breath and let it out slowly, "My…my, parents were killed. I had to escape, leave Ferelden, I lived in Denerim, but if I stayed, they would've found me."

"They?"

The girl was just about the say something else when Athenril interrupted her, "Come with me, we'll talk somewhere a little more private. Hey Jack make sure that shipment of weapons gets delivered by noon."

"Yes ma'am."

They walked through a small doorway leading to a one-story house with rows of rooms. This was on of the hideouts her band of smugglers had here in the city. They walked to the end of the corridor and entered a spare room, her room. Athenril sat the girl down near her desk and she sat across from her.

"Nice place," the girl said.

"What's your name hon?"

"Avatrix, Avatrix Bellaire. But you can call me Ava."

"Avatrix, now where did you get that name from?"

"I have no idea, my mom said it just sprung in her mind, I like it though, it separates me I think. I was always an outcast."

"You are a rare one, what do you need from me, why surround yourself with smugglers?"

"Because I can help, now smuggling isn't my usual thing but I can steal." Athenril looked down at her fingers, all scratched up and nimble. i _I wonder what she's gotten into._ /i

"I can't just welcome you in with open arms, you gotta work for it."

"I'm a hard worker." Athenril sighed, this girl just won't give up, and then Ava looked at Athenril with her big sad eyes, "Please…" That made her heart melt, she really felt for this girl.

"What are you best at?"

"I'm an artist, I'm quite talented if I do say so myself, I don't know if you've seen it but made a mural in Lowtown, the one that featured the man breaking his chains."

"You painted that!" Ava simply nodded.

"So you're the artist that goes around this city. What are you a freedom fighter?"

"No, just a person with something to say."

That mural brought a whole new meaning to "A picture's worth a thousand words". It was a simple painting, but executed beautifully. It was man; he had no face, but had a poor man's clothing. His hands were encased in metal bindings around his wrist. But the chain in the middle was broken and it had erupted in a gold burst that transformed the background into a realm of bright blues and reds. What made this mural stand out from most was that it was not a mage that being depicted, no it was a common man. "What gave you the idea?"

"Why should only mages be the only ones we should feel sorry for, we are all trapped here. Mages are not the only people who deserve pity."

"I've seen your work, you, have a way of embarrassing people." The girl grinned mischievously.

"Then this is your first assignment. The city is ruling in a new viscount since last one was assassinated. There are three that the public will be voting on this weekend. Now one of them will never get to call the viscount seat theirs, so it's down to two." Athenril walked behind and put both of her hands at the top of Ava's seat. "Marlow Dumar and Lucius Thenrow. Your job is to make sure Thenrow, does not get that seat."

"Lucius Thenrow? Why him?"

"Because he has all the tributes of a Tyrant, someone that is going to run Kirkwall into the ground."

"Kirkwall is already in the ground."

"He'll do it faster. So, what do you say?" The girl looked down, she looked to be talking to herself; Athenril heard little sounds of whispers and mumbling. If she didn't know any better she would have proclaimed this girl crazy and sent her away before "hello". But this girl, Avatrix, she seemed different. For the longest time Kirkwall might finally get the problems it has figured out. All someone needed to do was someone to exploit the problems. Ava looked up, "I'll do it."

"Good, you have till the weekend."

"Um…do you mind if I work in here. I need someplace quiet, I'll be out by night, so you can sleep and won't come in until you're out in the morning."

"Sure, just do your work." She smiled a smile that Athenril won't probably forget for the rest of her life. She had, at least that's what Athenril thought, been through so many hardships. But yet she smiles. "I'll leave you to it then."

"You won't be disappointed."

Two days went by pretty quickly, she kept good on her word, she'd left at night, and came back in the morning. Some hours she would peek in on the girl, she was never startled; Athenril would catch her pacing, look at her paintbrush and fine inks on the desk, and start pacing again. Other times she would sit at the desk and move her hand violently. Brush stroke after brush stroke, and she would crinkle her nose and mouth. She was so into her work. But she didn't see anything that was being written on the paper.

The night before the ruling, Ava was nowhere to be found, neither were some members of her band of smugglers. When the day came, Ava met Athenril outside the viscount's keep. She had changed, now she was wearing a long sleeve gray shirt with black leggings and red shoes. Her pack was still slung over her shoulder across her chest.

"Are you ready?" Ava said tying the other side of her short hair into a little pigtail identical to the other side of her hair. Athenril sighed and walked into the keep. The number of people piled up by the minute. One by one, they came in. Athenril looked at Ava, her mind seemed somewhere else, but her face looked pale and uneasy. "You look like you're about to be sick," Ava snapped back and looked at Athenril, "I'm not good in crowds."

Instruments began to play and the crowd grew silent. Athenril heard Ava sigh heavily. i _Was that relief?_ /i and the three candidates walked out and waved to the crowd. The first one gave a speech (the one who had no chance), the second one Marlow Dumar walked up to the stand and began to speak. Ava stepped closer to Athenril and whispered close to her ear, being careful that no one would hear her. "You know if they rule in him, nothing's going to change in this city, it's going to stay the same way it is."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because Dumar is disconnected man. His wife died a month ago, he hardly talks to his son. I'm surprised he's still going through with this. But I guess we all need something to occupy us don't we?"

"You speaking for him, or yourself?" The girl was silent, and she looked down at her feet. She kept fidgeting next to Athenril, moving her shoulders in round circles. Tapping her toes on the floor and then clicking her heels. She was uncomfortable. Dumar's speech had ended and Thenrow was next. Ava's mouth twitched and leaned toward Athenril again. "Can I tell you secret?"

"Indulge me."

"I was hoping you were going to give me this assignment." Athenril looked at the girl, noticing the change of tone in her voice. She had a slight grin on her face, but her black-brown eyes had revenge in them. "Thenrow, had a family in Ferelden. His brother's family. And I knew them. They're pigs. Stamping around like nobility crushing families that seem under them. I don't like revenge. It rather brings out a bad side in me. But the Thenrows, I would gladly do horrible things to them until the whole world sees that they are scum. Lucius Thenrow, he's a gloat. Had a lovely speech prepared two weeks prior to this date. He never touched it after he was done writing it, but I did."

"My dear people of Kirkwall, I would be delighted to be your viscount! All of you know that the Thenrow family is a long line of nobles. I have the experience to lead you, my people, to make Kirkwall a great city! We all do love our dear Kirkwall."

"I switched the speeches." Athenril was speechless, she let out a short laugh and watched the show.

"Now why should you let me be your viscount the answer is simple," Thenrow looked up at the crowd and smiled brightly, having the read the word from his "speech". "You shouldn't!" The minute he said it, he looked down at his sheet; his face became puzzled. But he continued to read, "Because I am a lying, disgusting, creation of the Maker! I have committed crimes that you wouldn't even dream off."

"You'd think he'd stop reading, but he's just too full of himself. He thinks he put that in there and that at the end he'll recover and make big finish. He'll make a big finish alright." Athenril couldn't believe what she was hearing. Two days ago she knew a girl who had a sad face and a big imagination. But now there is a girl with stout heart, who knows who needs to be put down and how to do it. Something was very sinister about Ava's face during the speech. With each word her face would glow with confirmed vengeance and raw passion.

"With the killing of a family and maiming… a little…girl." He began to stumble on his words unable to say the next one on the page. "I have seen the true side of…"

"Of what it means to be the king on the chess court." Ava and the viscount said at the same time.

"But I cannot say that I am sorry for what I did. I will carry this crime through-out my entire life." Athenril looked up the ceiling and saw a large white rolled up banner being held up by two ropes on either side. Two of her men were holding it up, Jack and Pryce. They both nodded and prepared themselves.

"So Kirkwall if I cannot forget…you cannot."

The banner unrolled and the crowd became frantic. Screaming at the horrid picture. It was indeed graphic, there was blood splatter on the corners and there was a pile of broken bodies of what looked like game pieces to one side with chips lying on the ground. The other side showed Thenrow in a king-like uniform with another person's head under his boot. The person came in close resemblance toward Avatrix. The background however, made the picture; it was a chessboard. Everyone began to scream, demanding he'd be taken off the stage and arrested. Athenril turned toward Avatrix to congratulate her, but she was not there, she was nowhere in the keep.

Hour passed as Athenril waited for her at the hideout. It was becoming dark, but nothing. She sent out some people to find her.

"Athenril! We found her."

Athenril climbed to the roof of the keep. It wasn't the very top but it was high, enough the see all of Kirkwall. She found Ava sprawled out hands behind her head lying down. "I always liked this view. It's a place to breathe. Clear your mind when it's too full." Athenril sat next to her and wrapped her arms around her legs that were brought close to her chest.

"Why did you clear out?"

"Everyone kept yelling and screaming and gasping. I can't think straight with all that noise."

"That's not all."

"All the noise, it reminded me of…after my parents were murdered, they were hanged out for everyone to see. There was a large crowd the gathered around them. Some were laughing, other speechless, but mostly the banter you would hear. I couldn't comprehend what was going on. I couldn't think. I didn't know how to act. Whether I should have kept running, or cut them down from their and stop their humiliation. I couldn't make a choice, I couldn't…I left…" She cut herself off.

"The Thenrows did that," Ava nodded. Athenril understood now. "Our lives are shaped by the scars that are cut onto us. Some are attractive some are just too goddamn ugly. But it makes us the people we are. Now instead of cutting your parents down from the nooses, you decided to honor them in another way. You've chosen to be heard. A lot of people don't choose that. Today you did them good."

"I've coped with their deaths, just not with new life I have to live."

"You will. And with you in my ranks I might make it a bit easier."

"Really?" Athenril nodded.

"You are quite the Exhibitionist Avatrix Bellaire."

"The Exhibitionist." Ava giggled to herself, "I like it."

Athenril smiled, and they sat there for the entirety of the night.

Ava had become a good friend to Athenril and Athenril to Ava. After three more years she left the smugglers and visited Ferelden. Athenril played that night back in her head, and sighed.

"What's the Templar's name?" Athenril asked.

"Really? William Wilks. That's his name."

"I'll have the information by the end of the week."

"Thank you thank you!" She hugged Athenril; Athenril had noticed the changes in her in the last five years. Her hair was twice as long as it was before, her chest was bigger, and she was taller. Ava had passed her by more than a of couple inches. The irritation of height was still there but also her lack of breasts was another irritation as well. "Alright, alright, I have some other business to attend to now."

"I'll leave you to it then, thanks!"

She ran off as the Hawke boys approached Athenril. "Alright guys ready to work?" The eldest Hawke sighed, "If we have too."

"Always the optimist Ethan. Carver! You with us?"

"Who was that?"

"No one who you should be associated with."

"That's a long name, got something shorter for me?" Carver replied sarcastically.

Athenril rolled her eyes, "Her name is Avatrix Bellaire. And she's out of your league. Come on you next assignment is this way."

In the back she could hear the brothers talking, "Come on brother, get your eyes back in your head and walk forward."

"Oh shut up brother."


End file.
